Cinefex 164 on the Prowl

The April issue of Cinefex is just out and stalking newsstands everywhere. I’ve got two articles in Cinefex 164, each with its own uniquely beastly vibe.

Beast of the Apocalypse is my in-depth report on the effects of Hellboy. In covering this new R-rated take on Mike Mignola’s comic book icon, I interviewed visual effects supervisor Steve Begg and the talented teams at Worldwide FX, Mr. X, Rhythm & Hues, Goodbye Kansas and RISE. I also had the great pleasure of speaking with production designer Paul Kirby and the ever-charming Joel Harlow, who not only designed the film’s monstrous menagerie of creatures, but also created the full body suit and prosthetic makeup that transformed actor David Harbour into Hellboy. In this age of bloodless movie action, it was refreshing to chat with artists who clearly took great delight in splashing the screen with gore for a change.

My second Cinefex 164 story is The Nature of the Beast. Yes, I used the word ‘beast’ in both my article titles. So sue me. In a break from the Cinefex norm, this one isn’t about just one film. Instead, it traces the evolution of digital animals in the movies, from the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park through Richard Parker the tiger in Life of Pi to Caesar in the Planet of the Apes trilogy and beyond. In a broad sweep, I balanced interviews with some of today’s experts in digital creature design with a ton of historical research going back to the 1920s to set the whole thing in context.

Cinefex 164 is on newsstands now, and available to order in print from the online store. The iPad edition features tons more photographs and exclusive video content.